An earthquake is when the Earth shakes, and it’s the vibrations what we feel. There are many causes of earthquakes: volcanic activity, meteorite impacts, undersea landslides, explosions of nuclear bombs, and much more, but the most common cause of an earthquake is sudden movement along faults. A fault is a crack in the Earth along which the rock of its two sides moves past each other (see diagram 1). “Pressure builds in near-surface rocks until the stress is so great that the rocks fracture and shift along a fault (55).” This, creates the shock waves that create an earthquake.

There are three laws about faults. The Law of Original Horizontality, the Law of Superposition, and the Law of Original Continuity. The Law of Original Horizontality states that sediments are originally

In the future we must protect ourselves from future earthquakes. One way of protection is designing buildings to be able to hold through a quake. Another way that we need to protect ourselves from future earthquakes is by knowing what to do in the event that one will occur. If you are indoors during an earthquake, drop, cover, and hold on. Get under a desk, table or bench. Hold on to one of the legs and cover your eyes. If there's no table or desk nearby, sit down against an interior wall. An interior wall is less likely to collapse than a wall on the outside shell of the building. Pick a safe place where things will not fall on you, away from windows, bookcases, or tall, heavy furniture. It is dangerous to run outside when an earthquake happens because bricks, roofing, and other materials may fall from buildings during and immediately following earthquakes, injuring persons near the building. Wait in your safe place until the shaking stops, then check to see if you are hurt. You will be better able to help others if you take care of yourself first, then check the people around you. Move carefully and watch out for things that have fallen or broken, creating hazards. Be ready for additional earthquakes called "aftershocks." Be on the lookout for fires. Fire is the most common earthquake related hazard, due to broken gas lines, damaged electrical lines or appliances, and previously contained fires or sparks being released. If you must leave a building after the shaking stops, use the stairs, not the elevator. Earthquakes can cause fire alarms and fire sprinklers to go off. You will not be certain whether there is a real threat of fire. As a precaution, use the stairs. If you are o

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